The Hour of Last Light
by LyallAurion
Summary: Plague is spreading throughout Hyrule, and Link is summoned to fight the unknown evil as he traverses lands and uncovers many secrets long lost.... Some LinkxZelda. [TEMP HIATUS]
1. Princess Zelda's Summon

Lyall: Yay, my first Legend of Zelda fanfiction! I've always wanted to write one of these, but I could never really nail down Link's personality. I had to read the manga on Zelda Infinite and the Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess games helped. Wheee...

Anyways, this story takes the overworld of Ocarina of Time, but I'm incorporating Twilight Princess provinces and stuff as well (such as towns in TP that don't appear in OoC, like Ordon Village).. Basically it's a OoC/TP mix. I think there might be some Majora's Mask and Minish Cap.

I'm gonna make Link an Ordonian and he still can transform into a wolf for reasons described later. And Linky (my nickname; haha) knows he's the descendant of the Hero of Time, he knows Princess Zelda, people know he's their savior, yadda yadda ya. And I haven't finished Twilight Princess, so some things may not be correct. And I'm sorry if personalities aren't spot-on. I'm also going to make Link able to use magic. WHY, NINTENDO, WHY NOT INCLUDE A MAGIC METER IN TWILIGHT PRINCESS?!

This story is in omniscient third person, for those who care.

---

"Link, over here!"

Link sighed heavily. "Okaaay...!"

Link turned Epona over to where Fado was, who found the stray goat that was lingering in the shadows. He then commanded Epona to gallop over, as he was eager to get his farmwork done. Just when the goat was finally uncornered...

"Liiiiinnkk!" Beth shouted.

"Hu-uaaaah!" Link got thrown off-course and accidentally hit the goat into the side of a fence. Snorting out of its nostrils, it tackled Epona, which sent Link hurtling several feet over, facefirst into a sandpit.

"Link, stop goofing around! Are you done yet?" Beth asked impatiently.

Link mentally slapped himself."Yeah, almost done...," he muttered as he pulled himself up and dusted the sand off of his clothes.

"Good! Talo wants you to show him how to use that Clawshot thing."

"Oh. Okay, ten more minutes...," Link yawned as he got back on Epona. "C'mon, girl, time to herd that last goat."

"Thanks again, Link!" Fado applauded and handed Link a glistening red rupee, which was worth twenty green rupees.

"Ya know, you really should stop feeding those goats happy pills," Link said as he rotated his left arm in its socket.

"Not my fault they're darn stubborn," Fado mumbled.

"Heheh, anyways, see ya tomorrow." Link waved good-bye and led Epona out of the ranch.

Once in the village, Link nearly got hit in the head with an arrow.

"...Talo...," Link said slightly menacingly, twitching a bit.

"Uh, sorry, Link?" Talo said sheepishly.

"You really should get a restraining order from these things," Link muttered as he snatched the bow and quiver from Talo.

"Link, Clawshot time!" Talo exclaimed, his eyes gleaming.

Link sighed. "You better promise me you won't kill some bystander," Link moaned while slapping the side of his face.

"ALL RIGHT! WOO!" Talo danced around. "Heya Link, I'm gonna head on over to your house now! C'mon, Beth!" Talo grabbed Beth and dragged her to Link's house.

"Aw jeez, and you'd think they'd run out of energy sometime...," Link moaned as he groggily mounted Epona and trotted over to his house.

"Finally, Link!" Talo shouted as Link came up the road. "Why are you so slow today?!"

"Shut up, Talo!" Beth admonished and hit him on the head. "Link was working at the ranch!"

"But he does basically every day, and he's never like this...," Talo mumbled as he held his head.

"Sorry, Talo. I just slept late," Link said while rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh. ...You're still gonna teach me, right?" Talo asked.

"Uh, sure, lemme ju--" Link started, but then a voice was heard.

"HEEEEEEEEEYYY!!!"

"Mailman!" Beth exclaimed.

"I got a letter for Mr. Link!" the postman said while jogging in place. Link dismounted and the postman handed him a letter.

"Thanks," Link said as he looked at the envelope. It had the crest of the Royal Family. Suddenly Link's mind was swarming with questions.

"Off to deliver!" the postman jogged back down the road.

"Who's it from, Link?! Who, who?!" Talo jumped up and down.

Link didn't answer as he opened the letter. 'Why would Princess Zelda mail me...?' he thought.

"What does it say?" Beth asked.

Link read aloud:

_To Master Link,_

_Princess Zelda has summoned you for an urgent dilemma. Please depart as soon as possible. We are sorry if this creates inconvenience._

"_Master_?! Cool! And wow, that's awesome! You get to go to the princess!" Talo shouted. "You're real important, huh?"

"Aww, I wanna meet the princess," Beth sighed.

"We're not _important_ enough," Talo shrugged.

"Oh come on," Link said, mildly irritated. Both kids quit talking. "Well, I guess I have to leave, then. You two go tell Mayor Bo I'll be gone for a few days, possibly a few weeks if something serious happened," Link said as he climbed up his house's ladder. Talo and Beth ran off down the path to Ordon Village.

In his house, Link got a knapsack and packed his weapons, some log books, and extra clothing, including the Hero's Clothes. His instinct told him something grave was going to or already occured. Sighing yet again, Link changed into a simple white long-sleeved shirt with dark green pants.

The thumps of the two kids' footsteps echoed off of the desolate pathway. As they were about to enter the village, they saw Ilia coming their way.

"What are you two in such a rush about?" Ilia asked.

"We're gonna tell your dad that Link's going to be gone for a while," Talo said.

"...What?" Ilia seemed a bit shocked.

"He just got a letter from Princess Zelda!" Beth said.

"C'mon, Beth!" Talo grabbed Beth's hand and ran off.

Ilia stood dumbfounded for a few seconds and then ran down to Link's house as quickly as she could.

Glancing at his shining blade and shield, he thought, 'I might need these.' After placing the Ordon Sword's sheath and Hylian Shield on the belt that ran diagonally vertical on his chest and back, Link smoothed out his clothes and walked outside.

Just as Link mounted Epona, Ilia came running down the road.

"Link!!!" she shouted.

"What are you doing here, Ilia?" Link asked.

"Is it true you're going to be gone?" Ilia asked a tad sorrowfully.

"Well, the Royal Family summoned me...," Link said, somewhat disturbed of how Ilia sounded.

Ilia looked at the ground while twiddling her thumbs.

"So why did you come?" Link inquired.

"Eh? Well, uh, I came to give you...this." Ilia handed Link a small box that was wrapped up.

"What is it?" Link asked.

"It was just something I found in the forest one day. It was really pretty, and it was glowing a little. Since you can use magic, I thought you would find use in it," Ilia said sheepishly.

"...Thanks," Link smiled his catching smile and put it in a pocket that was attached to his belt.

"Oh! Uh, Link...," Ilia blurted.

"Huh?" Link had a look of mild confusion.

"Just be careful, all right? Don't overexert yourself."

"Don't worry, Ilia." Getting back on Epona, he whistled and Epona ran off.

When Ilia didn't hear Epona's hooves clop on the forest earth anymore, she quietly whispered, "Good luck, Link..."

---

Lyall: Aww, how sweet is Ilia? This is still LinkxZelda, though. WOOT ZELINK!!! And I'm sorry if this is a crappy intro. All stories need an intro, right?


	2. Hollow Hyrule

Lyall: Okay, second chapter. I'm sorry if I don't update. I'm real lazy and I don't have much motivation. Oh yeah, at this time I would like to say that my brother is helping me with this. He's just basically the one that will think of names and...that kind of crap. Yeah, and he's the one that has played Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. I've never gone far (haven't started OoC and I just got the Iron Boots in TP). I just watch him a lot and memorize stuff. I'm good at memorizing. He's my reference book. Yay! Now he's gonna get me a soda. Mwahahaha... ONWARD! 

Oh yeah, this morning, my brother got the limited edition scaled replicas of the Master Sword and Hylian Shield and the certificate of authenticity. And it was the LAST one. **LAST** ONE. He gave me the soundtrack that came with it. PH33R. The little shield is cool. You can actually put it on your finger. Woot! And the sword is shiny. They are very accurate. And shiny. They're scaled to one sixth. And shiny.

I've now decided to use Twilight Princess's overworld. It's cooler. Wheeeeee... My brother's at the Palace of Twilight. And I hate the hands that try to grab the Sols. So much hate...

Thanks so much, Suzu Fujibayashi, for reviewing! And I got more hits than I thought! This certainly boosts the self-esteem. Thanks to all that read!

---

Epona's hooves clicked on the dusty dirt path that sprawled and forked all over the vast field. Hyrule Field easily took at least five days to cross, and at least two on horseback or wheel, if you were lucky. Forests and ponds dotted the field, and bridges connected the provinces. Merchants were often seen travelling in caravans and wagons along the tortuous roads to the many insignificant villages that weren't on most maps.

By noon Link had traveled halfway to Hyrule Castle Town. Typically a _normal_ horse wouldn't have taken their rider that far, but Epona wasn't _normal_. She was one of a kind. Link was told that Epona was a descendant of the Hero of Time's horse. He thought it was myth, but most horses could never match up to Epona's strength, stamina, and speed.

Link stopped Epona near a pond. The humidity was a little higher than normal, so obviously Link got thirsty. After drinking some freshwater, he sat down and reread the letter he received that morning. He was still curious as to what he was summoned for. He, Zelda, and Midna had defeated the darkness, and the land was in prosperity. What could happen so soon after the twilight was eradicated?

Pacing back and forth, Zelda bit her lower lip. The princess possessed a flawless face, but it was now scrunched up in anxiety. Her kingdom was hit with a sudden sickness, and it spread so quickly. The majority of the denizens were afflicted with the illness, so the town seemed very desolate compared to usual status. Almost no businesses were conducted, and food and water was in high demand, as most food stores' owners were coughing in bed. The physicians in town had said that they had never seen this sickness, and all hospitals, clinics, and infirmaries were nearly booked to the brim. Twenty-three people had died. Obviously this plague worried the princess, and she had ordered one of her messengers to bring Link because she knew he could do something. He always came out victorious, and she severely needed his help now.

'Link, please hurry...,' Zelda thought ferverently while pacing the floor faster.

"Princess, please stop. He will come," a maid said. "Please do not tire yourself. The town still needs you."

Zelda sighed and slumped back into her throne. It glimmered gold and was decked with velvet, jewels, and ancient Hylian text.

"Princess, do you request anything to drink?" asked her maid.

"A cup of water would be wonderful," Zelda smiled. The maid curtsied and left.

One minute later and the maid came back with a cup of water.

"Thank you. You may be dismissed," Zelda said.

"Yes, princess," replied the maid and she walked away.

Zelda took a sip and set the cup on a small table to her left. She then buried her head in her hands and wondered why the goddesses had cursed her town. It all happened so abruptly. Only a few days ago the town was perfectly normal...

_"Fresh fruit! Get the best of Hyrule!"_

_"Our flowers are the most loveliest in all the land!"_

_Shopkeepers called out to the people on the streets, hoping to attract customers. Scents of food and flowers engulfed the springtime air. Chatter of townsfolk and travelers mingled together with the rattling of house chimes. The sun smiled down upon the town. No clouds were to be seen._

_Inside the castle, Zelda was content watching the town from her bedroom balcony. She propped her head up with her hand as she watched the people down below. Zelda sighed; she wanted to leave the castle and frolick in town, just like any _normal_ person. Sometimes being a princess was very restricting and boring._

_'At least all the citizens are happy,' thought Zelda. As boring as it was to be princess (and someday queen), she would endure it to bring her wonderful town happiness._

_An idea sparked in Zelda's head. 'Hey, I should use magic to sneak out!' she thought. Zelda went into her room, made sure no one was outside in the hallway, and she concentrated some of her magic to transform herself. When the sparks were gone, she looked like a teenager girl with messy brown hair and wore a commoner's dress. Zelda snickered and sneaked her way out of the castle. She already had memorized the guards' paths and shifts._

_Zelda just made it out of the castle when the gate guards noticed her._

_"Hey, girl, what are you doing over near the castle?"_

_"Do you have any business with the king or princess?"_

_Zelda mentally grinned. The guards didn't recognize her. That's what she was aiming for, anyways._

_"I'm sorry. I was just curious of how the castle looked like," Zelda answered innocently. "Am I in trouble?"_

_The guards looked at each other for a moment, then one spoke up._

_"...You're not in trouble, but if we catch you again, girl, _then_ there'll be problems."_

_"Okay," Zelda said and skipped off into town._

_Though Zelda ruled Hyrule, ironically she didn't know how it was really like to be a commoner. She had rarely left the castle. Seven at most, and most of those times she had snuck out when she was a young girl, only to be found a few hours later._

_Head swirling with chatter, Zelda quickly got lost in the crowd. She felt slightly faint, as the castle was typically peaceful, and she wasn't used to such uproars. Even when she was a child there wasn't this many in the streets._

_'Are there more people today than normal...?' Zelda pondered as she squeezed her way through the neverending crowd. 'Merchants must be very caught up.'_

_Finally getting out of the mass of people, Zelda deeply breathed in air. Afterwards, she proceeded to wander the alleyway that laid in front of her._

_As she was walking, she saw many people talking to each other cheerfully, shopping, and rushing to business. This warmed the princess's heart, as she loved to see her people happy. Unfortunately, as Zelda walked along the path, she also saw homeless people, adults and children alike. A pang of sorrow hit Zelda everytime she saw one._

_'I need to add "help the homeless" to my list...,' Zelda thought. She then felt her dress being tugged by a child. She turned and saw a small child holding his hand out for something. He was five at most and was absolutely filthy, wearing scraps of clothing. Zelda felt horrible that she hadn't done anything about this sooner. She got out some candy and a purple Rupee and gave them to the child. His face immediately brightened up and smiled at Zelda as if saying, "Thank you so much!" The child then ran off, Zelda watching him._

Shades of sunset slowly creeped from behind the horizon. Link was nearing the southern entrance of Hyrule Castle Town now, as it was in sight. He spurred Epona on, anxious to reach the castle by nightfall.

Epona galloped all the way until they were upon the stone bridge. After dismounting Epona, Link ran off through the wooden doors.

When Link entered the town, he stopped and was in partial shock. The streets were desolate, except for a very small number of townsfolk. Barely anything was in operation. Hyrule Castle Town reminded Link of the Hidden Village. His footsteps echoed off of the empty stones as Link made his way to the center of town. Even the fountain seemed dead.

"...Why are you out?"

Link whipped around to find a woman.

"What?"

"Why are you outside?" the woman asked. "It's dangerous!"

"...Dangerous? How?" Link asked.

"The plague! No one wants to die of it!" the woman answered.

"...What? What plague?" Link asked confused.

"It is an unknown disease. There is no cure. If you catch it, you will die." the woman said. "Just look at that sign!" She pointed to an old sign hanging from a shop. It read _Quarantine_.

"...Quarantine...?" Link said, a bit mystified.

"Yes. It is the work of the plague. No one leaves the confines of their houses. No one enters any houses. There are only three operational shops in town. Many things are in high demand. Since this is new knowledge, I assume you're a traveler," the woman said. "If that is the case, it's best for you to leave. We don't want the body count rising."

Before she finished the last sentence, Link had already sped to the castle with all the speed he could muster.

---

Lyall: Sorry for that italicized background rant. The main idea (which got lost really early) was to compare current Hyrule and a few days ago Hyrule. I know, it was really bad. But didn't the child make you feel sad? He made me. (sniffs) Uh, please don't say anything about it. (leaves room) And I promise the story will get somewhere. This is my first actual fanfiction I'm really dedicated to. The other ones I had...eh, for fun, I guess. This is serious, so I will move the story along, albeit slow, I think.

Reminder, I haven't completed Twlight Princess, so I'm just inferring some things. And I'm including Midna in this story. Midna's awesome and PWNS Navi.

...Are these chapters too short...? Meh, they seem like it.


End file.
